Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Purchases 21,601 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 29.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 93,984 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 21,601 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Vistra were worth $12,958,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Vistra by 616.0% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Vistra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Vistra Stock Performance

Shares of VST stock opened at $147.84 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.70. The company has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.58, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. Vistra Corp. has a 12-month low of $48.22 and a 12-month high of $199.84.

Vistra declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.42%.

Insider Transactions at Vistra

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.64.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.